In less than a month, most people will experience the frenzy of the coming festivities. There’s Thanksgiving to plan, which will soon be followed by Christmas and the countdown to the New Year. And with all these events, there may be trips to book, old recipes to prepare along with new ones to try, gifts to sweat over, and other activities families and friends think should top the previous year’s celebrations.
We sometimes overthink these moments and find ourselves experiencing anxiety and stress before, during, and after, and then we crash and burn. We don’t have any recollection of any fun and enjoyment on our part because we focused too much on the show we put on for others. Yes, it’s always nice to see people oohing and aahing over the delicious meals we slaved over for hours and watch everyone’s faces as they participate in the games played and open the gifts they received. But is that all there is for us to look forward to?
Who will be the gracious hosts this year? This is the biggest question for anyone. In our extended family, which now numbers more than 20, the idea of hosting can sound daunting. Surprisingly, my siblings and I grew up in a home where hospitality was practiced and preached. We all embraced it and took over after our parents reached “retirement.” It’s just a matter of distributing the occasions among us.
God has always been a gracious host. He has extended many invitations. In Isaiah 55, we read, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price…Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food” (vv.1-2).
In the New Testament, Jesus instructed Peter and John to prepare the Passover meal so they could eat it together. And when they were gathered in the borrowed upper room, He said to His disciples, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Jesus then gave thanks for the fruit of the vine, which they all drank, and the bread, which He broke and gave to them, in His remembrance (Read Luke 22:7-21).
When Jesus rose from the dead and showed Himself to some of His disciples in Tiberias, He told them to catch fish. “When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.’” Simon Peter did. Then, “Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast’” (Read John 21:1-14).
The invitations God and Jesus extend to us speak of the sincerity of the fellowship they desire from us. It’s about coming together, whether over a simple meal of fish and bread or a fancy bottle of wine and rich food. The fact is food is immaterial if we are in the best of company.
Jesus told of a parable: “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses…So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet’” (Read Luke 14:16-24).
My friend Arlene, a caterer by profession, had planned a New Year’s Eve party in her home that turned out exactly to be the Great Banquet story in real life. After receiving RSVPs from invited guests and preparing a sumptuous feast to welcome the new year, she started receiving, “Sorry, but we cannot come to tonight’s party anymore!” one after another on the day of the event. A real trooper, Arlene didn’t rant on Facebook and posted, instead, an open invitation to friends who were alone and wanted to have company and good food.
Jesus had an important reminder to us about invitations. He said, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you” (Luke 14:12-14a).
On a vision tour in Ecuador in 2012, we had to serve lunch for 200 impoverished families—a feast for them. But it wasn’t just about serving them; it was also about communing with them. It was an experience of its own, preparing and cooking a full-course menu and receiving praise and thanksgiving for the meal and our company. This is the blessing we will receive that Jesus talks about.
For the first time in my life, I received an “un-invitation” enclosed with an accusation for “something I did that was hurtful.” Subsequently, I also received an invitation to an event that I was unable to attend. The host, thinking there may be a particular reason why, gave me assurance that there would be place cards, so people are “strategically” seated.
We may have laughable excuses for getting out of invitations and for making sure people know why they are not invited to an event. Some people may feel disappointed for receiving a “No” RSVP. Some may feel slighted for being uninvited. But there is only one important invitation we should look forward to: God’s invitation. The good news is it’s open to everyone! Whether you realize it or not, you have received an invitation to God's table.
Isaiah 25 has a picture of a banquet laid out: “On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines” (v.6). There is great rejoicing at this party because everything that will be served will not compare to what we have tasted in this lifetime.
Sadly, “…when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there was a man who had no wedding garment. And he said, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’” (Matthew 22:11-12). There was something that caused a commotion, an interruption of this great feast. Some may think it a strange question to ask of a guest. But have you not seen and wondered why some people attend special occasions inappropriately dressed? Don’t you feel disrespect for the hosts?
In the same manner, believers and followers of Jesus Christ are warned how they should prepare to receive the promised eternal life. We accepted God’s gracious invitation to come and dine with Him. We should come to an understanding that the gracious indwelling of the Holy Spirit enables us to have the choice to live out each day as a life of blessedness, worthy of our holy calling.
So come to God’s celebration prepared to thank and praise Him for the blessing of being able to enjoy His gracious hospitality!
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/ Kiy Turk
Luisa Collopy is an author, speaker and a women’s Bible study teacher. She also produces Mula sa Puso (From the Heart) in Tagalog (her heart language), released on FEBC Philippines stations. Luisa loves spending time with her family over meals and karaoke!